It can be quite stressful being stuck in an aeroplane seat for hours with barely any room to move.

While reclining the seat may traditionally be considered a polite gesture to allow the person behind you a tiny fraction of breathing space on a long-haul flight, it can also cause contention among passengers.

This becomes especially clear with a reported incident on a Paris to Los Angeles flight this year, where a passenger behind a woman refused to allow her to recline her seat in a heated exchange.

The footage starts with a woman in a long black sleeve whose arm is stretched to the seat before her. The chair can be seen jolting since the woman in front is trying to recline her seat.

The passenger sitting in the back then used both arms, pushing back with strength to keep the front seat upright.

The woman in front looked back and inquired, apparently clueless as to why the person behind was resisting her actions: ‘Just let me know what’s going on?’

A passenger prevented a woman sitting in front of her from reclining her seat. Credit: Newsflare/YouTube

​

‘I said respectfully, can you please stop moving it back?’ the passenger in the back replied.

The woman in the front seat tried making her case, saying she was reclining her seat to sleep.

But the woman in the back seat was unconvinced. ‘Respect the person behind you’, she said before continuing to watch on her laptop. Eventually, the woman in front stopped reclining her seat.

The showdown had many viewers torn in their opinion of the incident, but the question is–who was right and wrong? Is it the right of every passenger to recline their seats, or are there moments when it’s just not okay?

The woman in the front asked to recline her seat, but the passenger behind her declined. Credit: Newsflare/YouTube

Luckily, several etiquette experts shed some light on this surprisingly contentious issue.

According to Nick Leighton, a podcast host and etiquette expert, you should never recline your seat if the passenger behind you is working on a laptop. He stated: 'Nobody likes their laptop snapped in half.'

Julia Esteve Boyd, an etiquette coach and podcaster from Switzerland, said that it’s entirely reasonable to recline your seat on a plane. Still, passengers shouldn’t do it too quickly out of respect for other people.

Lastly, aircraft expert Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time also stated that reclining an aeroplane seat is a right for all passengers, regardless of who they are flying with.

‘It’s quite simple,’ he said. ‘Reclining your seat, when the functionality is available, is a right. After all, the recline button is located at your seat and not the seat behind you.’

However, considering the person seated behind should still be taken into account. To avoid causing any annoyance, Ben recommended making eye contact or just finding some way to let the passenger behind you know that your seat will be going back.

Key Takeaways

• A passenger on a 12-hour flight refused to let the woman in front of her recline her seat, urging her to 'respect the person behind you'.
• The travellers were flying from Paris to Los Angeles when the video captured the scene.
• Experts shared advice on when it would not be acceptable to recline plane seats, for instance, when a passenger behind is working on their laptop.
• Etiquette experts suggest making a small gesture to the person behind before reclining a seat, like making eye contact or signalling.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that being stuck in a flying tube for hours with limited room can be quite a stressful experience for everyone involved, but that doesn’t mean people should forget to be mindful of others. May cooler heads always prevail in these kinds of situations.

If ever you find yourself in a similar spot, don’t hesitate to call over the flight crew, who can mediate in strained passenger interactions. Members, what do you think? Is it okay to recline seats on flights? Let us know in the comments below!

In the meantime, you may watch the interaction here:

​

 

[DrivingGirl]

Any passenger in front of me who tries to recline their seat will be met with considerable resistance due to my height and long legs.

And stuffed if I'm spending the duration of the flight with my knees jammed under my chin.

As far as I'm concerned, they can take a flying f**k.... literally.

Wow we are getting personal here! There are seats with extra legroom that can be purchased which might be a good idea if you’re too tall for a standard seat. However it doesn’t alter the fact that the person who has the misfortune to sit in front of you, has a perfect right to recline their seat. You’re the one with the height problem, and there are solutions- so take some responsibility for your own comfort- don’t make it somebody else’s problem!

 

[DrivingGirl]

Because of this problem I have been flying Business Class or upgrade whenever possible. I will never fly again cattle class on a long flight!

Precisely! there are options.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Wow we are getting personal here! There are seats with extra legroom that can be purchased which might be a good idea if you’re too tall for a standard seat. However it doesn’t alter the fact that the person who has the misfortune to sit in front of you, has a perfect right to recline their seat. You’re the one with the height problem, and there are solutions- so take some responsibility for your own comfort- don’t make it somebody else’s problem!

So my genetic makeup is MY fault? Before I was born, I put in a custom order to be 6 foot 8 inches tall did I?

You might be 4 foot 6 inches tall and weigh 130 kgs for all I know. Do you require a double seat (if such things exist)? If the reclining "beauty" wants to lie down, let THEM purchase a business class seat.

Your post is the dumbest I've seen by a long shot in my short time on SDC.

 

[Veggiepatch]

For all you that think that reclining an airline passenger seat is a right, well sadly, you are totally wrong. Same as the "why do seats have a button on the side if they weren't made to recline?" argument. Again wrong.

Airlines have been sneakingly reducing the space between seats for years for one reason. To make space for more seats. A purely money making ploy.

I challenge anybody to show me a piece of law or legislation with entitles an airline passenger the "right" to recline their seat. It comes down to a case of etiquette, which is unfortunately is going the way of the dinosaur. Extinct and again. not enforceable by law.

For those interested, there is a mountain of articles on the subject on the internet. Try it and your eyes may be opened.

 

[mylittletibbies]

So my genetic makeup is MY fault? Before I was born, I put in a custom order to be 6 foot 8 inches tall did I?

You might be 4 foot 6 inches tall and weigh 130 kgs for all I know. Do you require a double seat (if such things exist)? If the reclining "beauty" wants to lie down, let THEM purchase a business class seat.

Your post is the dumbest I've seen by a long shot in my short time on SDC.

I'm sorry but I don't agree with you.
The seats recline, the person in front has paid for that seat and is entitled to recline it if they wish.
I am also tall with long legs. I always book a seat by the exit doors where there is no one in front of you and plenty of leg room, albeit for a slightly higher cost, but it is worth it for the extra comfort
You sound very entitled. It's not the problem of the person in front of you, or me for that matter, that we have long legs or whatever.
For that matter if you are extremely overweight you do have to pay for two seats.
It's not up to the person in front of you who needs to buy a business class ticket, the problem is yours, the fact that you were born that way is a mute point, you are the one complaining, whether you like it or not you are the one with the problem.
You say a person doesn't have a right to recline their sight, I have twice overheard arguments on a plane about this matter
In both cases the crew told the complainer that the person did have the right to recline their seat, so I imagine they know what they are talking about
Just buy the seat with the extra leg room and get over yourself.

 

[mylittletibbies]

For all you that think that reclining an airline passenger seat is a right, well sadly, you are totally wrong. Same as the "why do seats have a button on the side if they weren't made to recline?" argument. Again wrong.

Airlines have been sneakingly reducing the space between seats for years for one reason. To make space for more seats. A purely money making ploy.

I challenge anybody to show me a piece of law or legislation with entitles an airline passenger the "right" to recline their seat. It comes down to a case of etiquette, which is unfortunately is going the way of the dinosaur. Extinct and again. not enforceable by law.

For those interested, there is a mountain of articles on the subject on the internet. Try it and your eyes may be opened.

Why would we want to read another lot of entitled people , on the internet, giving their opinions on why people can't recline their seats.
If there is such a law then please download a copy of it, so all us ignorant SDC members can read it.

 

[Judith1946]

If you have long legs you need to book a bulkhead seat or a aisle seat. I have the same problem. it isn’t up to you to stop the person in front of you reclining. They have paid for their seat and have every right to recline. I used to pay extra to sit in the emergency exit row when I flew Virgin. I haven’t flown in some time but check to see if that is still available. The other thing is that there are often people who grab two or three seats as soon as the seat belt signs are turned off so that they can lay down. The aircraft staff are quite capable of making these people give up a seat or two and can then enable other people to move so as to be more comfortable. Don’t be a dick - try being proactive in future.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Wow! Who's the entitled ones in this thread? And as for proof of law stating a person has the right to recline their seat, I emphatically said there was NO law for such. Try a reading and comprehension course!

 

[chezna]

Any passenger in front of me who tries to recline their seat will be met with considerable resistance due to my height and long legs.

And stuffed if I'm spending the duration of the flight with my knees jammed under my chin.

As far as I'm concerned, they can take a flying f**k.... literally.

Well, buy business class seat or exit seat then as it’s our right to recline seats!

 

[DrivingGirl]

So my genetic makeup is MY fault? Before I was born, I put in a custom order to be 6 foot 8 inches tall did I?

You might be 4 foot 6 inches tall and weigh 130 kgs for all I know. Do you require a double seat (if such things exist)? If the reclining "beauty" wants to lie down, let THEM purchase a business class seat.

Your post is the dumbest I've seen by a long shot in my short time on SDC.

Yeah . . Thought I hadn’t seen your brand of nastiness before- you might enjoy a different platform for your views!

 

[Veggiepatch]

Oooh! I'm scared!

 

[mylittletibbies]

Wow! Who's the entitled ones in this thread? And as for proof of law stating a person has the right to recline their seat, I emphatically said there was NO law for such. Try a reading and comprehension course!

Der, you keep telling people they have no right to recline their seat (this is your personal opinion) and now you are saying there us no law saying such, make up your mind.
To clear up this matter I rang a friend whose daughter is a flight attendant and she stated "we get bloody sick of these people who complain about others reclining their seats, they are made to recline and if people weren't allowed to recline them they wouldn't be made that way. We are told to advise such complaining people of the other options available to them, such as special leg room seats or business class.
If they choose to fly economy then they just have to put up with it. They have no special rights over the person sitting in front of them.
Everybody knows there is restricted leg room in economy before they book their own ticket"
We are all well aware that airlines are looking to maximize profits, hence we get packed in like sardines, but if we buy economy that's how it is. YOU don't get any special rights, even if you seem to think you do.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Oooh! I'm scared!

Grow up!!!

 

[Veggiepatch]

Grow up!!!

Read a previous post of mine and you will realise that I have grown up enough thank you.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Read a previous post of mine and you will realise that I have grown up enough thank you.

Once again "your opinion", not talking about your height as you are well aware.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Definition of an opinion: "A statement made by an individual or organisation which is never wrong but may be based on misinformation or disinformation".

 

[mylittletibbies]

Definition of an opinion: "A statement made by an individual or organisation which is never wrong but may be based on misinformation or disinformation".

Yes exactly, based on misinformation or disinformation, which then OBVIOUSLY can make it wrong, der.

 

[MHM]

It can be quite stressful being stuck in an aeroplane seat for hours with barely any room to move.

While reclining the seat may traditionally be considered a polite gesture to allow the person behind you a tiny fraction of breathing space on a long-haul flight, it can also cause contention among passengers.

This becomes especially clear with a reported incident on a Paris to Los Angeles flight this year, where a passenger behind a woman refused to allow her to recline her seat in a heated exchange.

The footage starts with a woman in a long black sleeve whose arm is stretched to the seat before her. The chair can be seen jolting since the woman in front is trying to recline her seat.

The passenger sitting in the back then used both arms, pushing back with strength to keep the front seat upright.

The woman in front looked back and inquired, apparently clueless as to why the person behind was resisting her actions: ‘Just let me know what’s going on?’

View attachment 27586

A passenger prevented a woman sitting in front of her from reclining her seat. Credit: Newsflare/YouTube

​

‘I said respectfully, can you please stop moving it back?’ the passenger in the back replied.

The woman in the front seat tried making her case, saying she was reclining her seat to sleep.

But the woman in the back seat was unconvinced. ‘Respect the person behind you’, she said before continuing to watch on her laptop. Eventually, the woman in front stopped reclining her seat.

The showdown had many viewers torn in their opinion of the incident, but the question is–who was right and wrong? Is it the right of every passenger to recline their seats, or are there moments when it’s just not okay?

View attachment 27587

The woman in the front asked to recline her seat, but the passenger behind her declined. Credit: Newsflare/YouTube

Luckily, several etiquette experts shed some light on this surprisingly contentious issue.

According to Nick Leighton, a podcast host and etiquette expert, you should never recline your seat if the passenger behind you is working on a laptop. He stated: 'Nobody likes their laptop snapped in half.'

Julia Esteve Boyd, an etiquette coach and podcaster from Switzerland, said that it’s entirely reasonable to recline your seat on a plane. Still, passengers shouldn’t do it too quickly out of respect for other people.

Lastly, aircraft expert Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time also stated that reclining an aeroplane seat is a right for all passengers, regardless of who they are flying with.

‘It’s quite simple,’ he said. ‘Reclining your seat, when the functionality is available, is a right. After all, the recline button is located at your seat and not the seat behind you.’

However, considering the person seated behind should still be taken into account. To avoid causing any annoyance, Ben recommended making eye contact or just finding some way to let the passenger behind you know that your seat will be going back.

Key Takeaways

• A passenger on a 12-hour flight refused to let the woman in front of her recline her seat, urging her to 'respect the person behind you'.
• The travellers were flying from Paris to Los Angeles when the video captured the scene.
• Experts shared advice on when it would not be acceptable to recline plane seats, for instance, when a passenger behind is working on their laptop.
• Etiquette experts suggest making a small gesture to the person behind before reclining a seat, like making eye contact or signalling.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that being stuck in a flying tube for hours with limited room can be quite a stressful experience for everyone involved, but that doesn’t mean people should forget to be mindful of others. May cooler heads always prevail in these kinds of situations.

If ever you find yourself in a similar spot, don’t hesitate to call over the flight crew, who can mediate in strained passenger interactions. Members, what do you think? Is it okay to recline seats on flights? Let us know in the comments below!

In the meantime, you may watch the interaction here:

​

I am entirely in agreement with the comments made by Ben Schlapping (?is that his real name, or a nom de plume adopted to invoke commercial "respect}. The facility to recline aircraft seat backs is something that is provided to travellers by airlines, so it is a facility by right. It may not leave the optimum airspace for the rearward passenger, but that is well known to all aircraft passenger, who themselves have the right to recline (and thus recover their airspace. The actions of the woman in the black top could be considered as assault.

I do agree that the appropriate action to be taken in such circumstances is to call for assistance from the flight attendant, but otherwise suggest that the black topped woman deserved a "Schlapping".

 

[MHM]

Definition of an opinion: "A statement made by an individual or organisation which is never wrong but may be based on misinformation or disinformation".

An interesting, and humorous soliloquy.

 

[Sandie1952]

If you don’t want the seat in front to recline toward you then when you book a flight in the future book the very front of the row then there won’t be anyone in front of you.

That’s a very good point